‘Downton Abbey’ season 4: Assorted notes from new (and newer) faces

Let’s face it: right now, there’s not too much coming out in the way of “Downton Abbey” news save for questions about whether or not “Mr. Selfridge” airing on PBS today is the reincarnation of the show with Jeremy Piven front and center. However, we do have a few assorted updates to share here and there, so we may as well dive in.

First and foremost, production continues to go along steadily on what will be the ITV series fourth season, and we know the characters will of course be in much of the same settings, from the real-life Highclere Castle to the town to the studio that doubles as the downstairs kitchen. (Highclere’s real-life kitchens have been updated, so those cannot be used for the show.) Like with any other serialized scripted show, there are a good many long days sitting on set that come with this job, which can make it rather grueling when it comes to the “hurry up and wait” nature of production. (Then again, at least you are able to wear fancy outfits.)

Nonetheless, this is still the show that everyone wants to be a part of, at least except for maybe Dan Stevens, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Siobhan Finneran (who all wanted to try out for other things). Tom Cullen, who is playing the character of Mary’s rumored love interest Lord Gillingham, wrote on Twitter days ago that it was “an honour to be a part of such a great show,” and he seems to be enjoying the interaction with fans without even getting to show off a single second of footage as his character.

There must also be a small break in production thanks to the Easter holiday, as well, as another relative newcomer in Lily James (who made a few appearances at the end of last season as Rose, and is now a series regular) shared that she has taken a little bit of time to enjoy the beaches as Brighton. Let’s that the whole cast gets the chance to enjoy the Easter holiday, as there are surely still many long days ahead.